Student Society Future Leader Ousted Due to Charlie Kirk Posts
The president-elect of the prestigious debating society has been removed from his position after failing a vote of confidence that came after his controversial online comments about Charlie Kirk.
The vote against George Abaraonye achieved the required two-thirds threshold to oust him from his position, according to an announcement from the society.
Disputed Comments
The dispute erupted after Mr Abaraonye reportedly posted messages on online platforms that appeared to welcome the death of Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a university in Utah.
According to sources, one Instagram post reportedly read "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - using an elongated version of the acronym for 'laughing out loud'.
The president-elect is also said to have written in a WhatsApp chat with other members appearing to welcome the incident.
Election Results
The vote of confidence was conducted over the weekend, with outcomes revealed on this week.
Society announcements indicated that 1,228 ballots were cast supporting removal, while 501 were opposed the motion.
The announcement confirmed that the future president was considered to have resigned in accordance with the Oxford Union's rules.
Election Controversies
Voting operations were informally suspended early on Monday after the returning officer was reportedly subjected to "interference, threats, and inappropriate behavior" from multiple individuals.
In a response, the student asserted that the vote tally had been halted because electoral officials believed "no valid outcome could be reached as a result of procedural failures".
His response unequivocally denied that any person acting for George had participated in intimidating or disruptive behavior.
Continuing Controversy
The student maintained that extremely serious issues had been submitted to the disciplinary committee and that he remained president-elect.
His comment added that he was "grateful and honored to have the backing of well in excess of a majority of university members" who supported a "safe election and oppose efforts to undermine the electoral process".
Opponents have argued that any failure to remove him would "signal to the world that the society has chosen ideology over integrity".
External Responses
On recently, Kirk's former chief of staff presented an public message to the society on The Charlie Kirk Show broadcast.
The letter accused the union of becoming a place where "presidents of the union openly applaud the assassination of a political opponent".
The statement warned that if the student were to remain in post, supporters would "personally contact every American political speaker who has ever spoken at the society and urge them never again to lend their name".
The society had earlier criticized Mr Abaraonye's remarks after Kirk's death and stated that concerns submitted about him had been referred for official review.
The student leader had been one of multiple members to debate with Kirk at the union in May.
